Wednesday, November 29, 2006

here is one from the vaults. Jimmy Hotz legendary "Beyond the Crystal Sea". released only on LP & in limited quantities , this LP is highly sought after & rarely shows up on ebay even ~i transferred this from the original wax !i also have the "Arkangel" that Jimmy produced if anyone knows this genre , they know these two lp`s.i can up the Arkangel as well , if there is interest.

in addition to this fine LP , i have 4 NEWER trax from his "Beyond the Gates of Time" EP which is just as epic -- on three trax you can hear jimmy play his hotbox , which is some kind of crazy midi device. !?is it a guitar ? is it a synthesizer ? some instrument from the future ?alas , i emailed him , i am no closer to knowing how heis doing it , but you have to hear to believe !songs which feature this device are :

*long , long ago*realm of the spirit*the gates of time

the last four tracks are the newer stuff while the 1st seven are the entire crystal sea project.

"A hard-to-find classic Christian prog album from the early 80's, released only on vinyl. Think ethereal Pink Floyd type stuff mixed with Rush 2112 riffing, with vocals inspired by Jon Anderson and songs about heavenly dwellings and the holy lamb. There's some great prog keyboard playing on the disc, as well as Hotz's heavy handed guitar playing. Well worth tracking down. There used to be some sound clips available on the web when mp3.com existed. I have no idea whats out there now. Hotz has a new EP also available as well, and it is rumored to be re-releasing a CD soon from Rad Rockers. Hotz also produced the classic original Christina prog album Warrior by Arkangel. { dt }"

Monday, November 27, 2006

ok ; now for something completely different , lol.i found this promo cd back in `97 in a used cd store. come to find out , its leader was none other than , elijah blue allman , son of cher & greg allman. elijah sings & plays all guitars.i fell in love with this cd upon first liten. i listened to it for months. i even ended up in `99 , buildin & runnin deadsy.net for 5 yrs. , getting emails for the band letting me know how much they liked the site & even got to fly out to LA & see them LIVE at the viper room & roxy .. elijah is teamed up here with alec puro on drums & renn hawkey on keys , the latter of which he met up north at a prep school where elijah was sent off too.alot of the mind-set of this recording comes from that sort of debachery that went on during the mid to late 90`s when elijah was growing up here at this school.this cd never hit the shelves , the promos are all that exist. they have since released two official cds , the first one containing some of these tracks , but not all. this particular promo cd is very rare.the following two cd releases have shyed away from this vision & are a completely different monster [ minus the tracks garnered from this promo cd ] this release has a magic vibe that was captured , & cannot be replicated.[ i do have the other releases & rare trax if interest is high enuff - have covers of : tom sawyer , just like heaven , teenage wildlife , texas never whispers & avalon ]

Sunday, November 26, 2006

this lp gets alot of flack , & the citics really dont like it , but i have them all & this is my fave !this is one of my fave soft psych lp in this vein. if you have never heard this & are a fan of these guys , do yourself a favor & grab this one !it will take you back.

transferred from the original wax by da` shaman.

*******

from liner notes :

Long before trips meant more than 4 1/2 hours from coast to coast and an inflight movie , a gentle writer by the name of James Thurber invented Walter Mitty , a bushy eyed , bright tailed chameleon who found the secret life of his dream world a hell of alot more exciting than the route 4 bus , a 9 - 5 job , and a chicken pot pie at every Horn & Hardart.Like Walkter Mitty , all of us have our secret lives. cities to conquer. mountains to climb. lovers to love. our private cloud-lined , star dusted stairways to some kind of paradise.at least harpers bizarre think so. because thats what this album is all about. the secret lives of dick yount , john peterson , ted templeman , & dick scoppettone.in the sturm & drang of everyday existence , almost anything can trigger our escape. an old song , a faded photograph , that chick diown th street that looks like someone from back home. for harpers bizarre , even a phrase of , "feelin` groovy".so on your mark , get set , open your escape hatch , and "follow the fellow who follows the dream . . . . . "

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

here is another great lost psych pop records of the late 60`s. obviously my fave genre`.again , not much i can find on these guys , tho the band consist of 2 females & two males.great harmonies here , ala mama`s & papa`s , sunshine co.i guess this would be classified as sunshine pop as well , really groovy songs !also includes a cover of "would you like to go" by sagattarius written by curt boettcher.this LP always sells on ebay , i finally found me a copy here in dallas - very clean - sounds great boyz.if you enjoy this one , please take a sec & let me know what you think , cool ...:)!enjoy another lost treasure brought to you by da` shaman.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

OK ;as promised here is the debut by cashman , pistilli & west. came out in `67 on ABC records.*disclaimer :: this was a request , the LP was a little under par of what i would usually attempt to transfer [ bit noisy ]
but it WAS a request & i managed to clean it up quite a bit. i think it sounds ok now . . . tho i DO need a better copy of this.
[ hey , i only paid a buck for it ! ..:)]
this is a really great LP , i dont think there are any throw away tracks on here , although the only not self penned track , up n down , i could do without.
fave tracks are of course the original version of "sunday will be the same" , "port authority terminal" - he mentions dallas ! & "bound to happen".
these guys really harmonized well , & wrote really memorable songs !
i hope you enjoy this one , its a grower `
please let me know what you think !

aka`

**********

"Though best known for producing the classic hits of singer/songwriter Jim Croce, the team of Terry Cashman and Tommy West also enjoyed successful performing and composing careers in their own right. Cashman was born Dennis Minogue in New York City on July 5, 1941; while playing minor league baseball in the Detroit Tigers' farm system during the late 1950s, he simultaneously fronted the Chevrons, scoring a handful of minor pop hits and even appearing on American Bandstand. However, as both his baseball and performing careers waned, in 1964 Cashman joined the promotions staff of ABC Records; there he eventually teamed with songwriter Gene Pistilli to author the lovely "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," a Top Ten pop hit for Spanky and Our Gang during the summer of 1967. In time the duo joined forces with fellow tunesmith Tommy West, born Thomas Picardo, Jr. on August 17, 1942. Like Cashman, West began his career as a performer, co-founding the New Jersey-based vocal group the Criterions in 1958; after a handful of unsuccessful singles, they adopted the name the Troubadours. West concurrently attended Villanova University, joining the collegiate vocal club and befriending fellow member Croce.

As Cashman, Pistilli, and West, the threesome recorded a series of singles and a pair of LPs, 1967's Bound to Happen and the following year's For Love of Ivy, to little notice; under the name the Buchanan Brothers, however, they notched a hit in mid-1969 with "Medicine Man." Meanwhile, at West's urging, Capitol signed his old friend Croce and wife Ingrid to a record deal; Cashman, Pistilli, and West also produced the resulting LP, 1969's Approaching Day, but when the record failed to generate much interest, the Croces were dropped from their contract. Soon after, Pistilli dissolved the partnership to join the Manhattan Transfer; Cashman and West continued as a duo, recording as Morning Mist before issuing 1972's A Song or Two under their given names and scoring a Top 30 hit with "American City Suite." When Croce signed to ABC in 1972, Cashman and West resumed production duties, and as the album You Don't Mess Around With Jim launched a pair of hit singles, "Operator" and the title cut, they divided their time between their own career (issuing Moondog Serenade in 1973) and Croce's (helming Life and Times and I Got a Name). " --- AMG

CASHMAN , PISTILLI & WEST - BOUND TO HAPPEN - ABC - 1967 : transferred @ 256 kbps - 51.5 mb
1 - bound to happen
2 - spring has a tear in her eye
3 - red is red
4 - i`d stumble & all
5 - a song that never comes
6 - sunday will never be the same
7 - port authority terminal
8 - but for love
9 - up n` down [ baby what you want me to do ]
10 - you can write a song
11 - the awakening
12 - bound to happen - reprise

Saturday, November 18, 2006

hey all :
here is some old bosstown psych for ya :
i really love this record.
transferred from original wax ..

FAVE TRACK : "YOUR HEAD IS REELING" !

enjoy !

aka`

**********

The first of two classics by Ultimate Spinach was a
different kind of psychedelia ; mixing Baroque music
with sitars, spatial guitars with Theremin, harmonica &
wood flutes within hard rock lines. Some lyrics had a
strong influence of the poetry of Kenneth Patchen and
the philosophies of Jean-Paul Satre. Here truly was a
serious new recording artist, in the middle of a
generation in change, during the year 1968. The Alan
Lorber produced album, "Ultimate Spinach" sold 110,000
albums in the first week, and remained on the Billboard
Top LP charts for 36 consecutive weeks, followed by it's
2nd and last album by Bruce-Douglas, "Behold & See."
The spectacular "Ballad of the Hip Death Goddess" has
been covered many times and is featured in several new
films, including the 2006 Canadian indie "Monkey
Warfare".

Ultimate Spinach was produced by veteran arranger
Alan Lorber, a main architect of the "Bosstown Sound."
In September 1967, he announced a marketing plan in
the top music-trade papers to make Boston, in his own
words (from his liner notes to Big Beat's reissue of
Ultimate Spinach's first album), "a target city for the
development of new artists from one geographical
location." This automatically insured that Lorber and his
groups would be the subject of some derision from the
hip underground, since vital regional music scenes such
as San Francisco psychedelia (which the Bosstown
sound often seemed to be mimicking) have to happen on
their own, rather than be manufactured. MGM was the
label that released most of the Bosstown Sound groups,
and it was through MGM that Lorber arranged to
distribute two of the bands he produced, Orpheus and
Ultimate Spinach.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

great LP , really out there.transferred from the original wax @ 256 kbs.file is 135 MB & included high rez scans of LP & liner notes.

enjoy `

akashaman

**********

The Alternative Quantum Universe

'Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra,Everybody Here Can Be In The Band,Planet Earth Rock And Roll Dream '

Paul Kantner (From Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra)

Black Lights, Day Glow, Zig Zags and Ripple. Nixon was in office, kids lay dead in a foreign land and on our campuses. The whole world seemed to be rushing towards an uncertain future. Even the Silent Majority was starting to talk.

On the west coast of the United States, some of the best musicians of a generation came together to share ideas, explore the new technology and to kick out what would be the greatest, most influential albums of the age.

Woodstock and Altamont were behind - Watergate was ahead and Blows Against the Empire was on every Head's turntable.

"Hey Dick, Whatever you think is totally irrelevant. Both to us and to you. You are the past, we are the future." (From Blows Against the Empire)

Those words were shouted out at so many gatherings. You could smell revolution. The music was real, the times desperate and hope for the future burned white hot. Blows Against the Empire was the soundtrack to the early seventies. Featuring members of Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, CSN&Y, the Fabulous Rhinestones and many others Blows Against the Empire was not just an all star collaboration, but was also a science fiction masterpiece that was the brainchild of Paul Kantner.

While Paul was the guiding force behind the album the influence of what was to become the Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra was immeasurable. Grace Slick, David Crosby, Jerry Garcia, Graham Nash all have a distinctive voice on the album. You can't steer the wind but Paul was able to keep a firm hand on the till of the ship. The Planet Earth Rock and Roll collaboration continued and several albums were released as solo efforts by this Band of Caballeros! Most of which are available here.

A decade later found Paul Kantner back in the studio with Grace Slick, other members of Jefferson Starship, the Turtles, the Durocs, the Edgar Winter Group and a host of others (including Paul's children). Paul had an epic science fiction novel/movie/soundtrack in mind when he started to record Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra.

Paul Kantner explains the premise for the Album Novel in an interview. "The album is sort of a soundtrack to the novel. It's about a rock-and-roll band who gets a hold of a lot of telepathic amplification equipment, essentially, that the government starts coming after. That begins an adventure of them going cross-country. They wind up in a settlement in Australia, and eventually get off the planet in a unique sort of way. There's a sort-of picture of it on the album."

While the Album and the Book have been out of circulation to most of the world for over a decade a newly remastered edition of Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra will be available soon, right here at Planet Earth Rock and Roll (planetearthrockandroll.com). So fasten your seatbelts, prepare for launch as we discover the universe of Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra.

i got nothing on these guys , but this recording is amazing.tons of fuzz & organ & some brass !the drum sound on this is amazing , i love it...the vocals are really good , great harmonies .this has sunshine & shadows.has a real trippy narrated intro about the "giant crab that is coming forth" , its hilarious.during the intro it mentions all the trax in a short story , as such.no throw away trax on this , grab it while its hot !

i dunno if this is on cd yet , i ripped this from my vinyl copy @ 192 kbs.

please let me know if you enjoy this !

thanks !

1)a giant crab comes forth2)it started with a little kiss3)directions4)watch your step5)intensify your soul6)enjoy it7)hot line conversation8)i enjoy being the boy9)lydia purple10)groovy towne11)thru the fields12)the chance you take 13)believe it or not14)the answer is no15)hi ho silver lining16)why am i so proud ?

i love this lp , it has alot of warmth & character to it.a bit on the jazzier side for me taste , but the songs have so much variation , that i end up gettin` lost in it all:title track , walk on the sand & she promises everything are my faves!i hope you enjoy this lost classic !

"Ars Nova was a rock/classical hybrid group formed in New York in 1967...The merger of rock and classical music was inevitable. Ars Nova was a group of classical musicians playing rock as if the connection had existed all through time. Baroque, medieval settings were suggested from their compositions. Though extremely unique and technically professional, their short career proved that even tasteful novelty isn`t always commercial.Ars Nova released its debut album in April 1968 and was profiled in the June 28, 1968, issue of Life magazine, hype that didn't help. The album didn't chart, the band re-organized, and there was a second album, Sunshine and Shadows, in June 1969."

ARS NOVA - SUNSHINE & SHADOWS - ATLANTIC , 1969 - MP3 @ 192 kbps

1) Sunshine and Shadows -- Collins, Day 2) I Was Once -- Day 3) Temporary Serenade -- Copeland , Day 4) She Promises Everything -- Collins , Day 5) Well, Well, Well -- Day 6) You Had Better Listen -- Owens 7) Round Once Again -- Day 8) Walk on the Sand -- Day 9) Rubbish -- Day 10) Please Don't Go Now -- Day

most of the stuff i will be posting will be pre `70 obscure psych - ish stuff , but every now & again i wanna post some other obscure greats that have gotten lost in the cracks of time.this one came from a cd.here is info on the band , New England from 1979.

"This quartet formed around Boston under the auspice of powerhouse manager Bill Aucoin, who ruled the '70s with Kiss. Guitarist and vocalist John Fannon proved to be the guiding light of the band, with Jimmy Waldo providing impressive keyboards and Gary Shea on bass while Hirsh Gardener worked the drums. Paul Stanley came over from the Kiss camp to produce New England's sterling debut (featuring the incomparable "P.U.N.K." and the incredible "Nothing to Fear"), an orchestrated, absorbing affair with the boys giving all. The lush "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya" nicked the Top 40 and proved to be New England's moment in the sun. Despite an opening stint supporting the falling but still high-profile Kiss, New England unfortunately slid between the cracks with Starz and Piper, two other talented Aucoin projects. The similar sophomore effort, Explorer Suite, garnered almost no notice, and Todd Rundgren's production on the innovative Walking Wild also didn't produce sales. New England dissolved, with Shea and Waldo ending up in Alcatrazz." --- AMG

"Produced by Paul Stanley of Kiss who was also represented by manager Bill Aucoin, this Boston band's debut still stands as their finest. "Hello, Hello, Hello," much like Alice Cooper's use of Rolf Kemp's "Hello Hooray," is a nice opener, but the lyrics are more like Stevie Nicks witchcraft and magic. Song two is the most classic statement made by writer John Fannon and his group New England. "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya" is perhaps the shortest poem/song on record by Fannon, but it is his most famous. There are swirling keyboards by Jimmy Waldo and the precision the band is known for in performance. Like another Boston-based group, Private Lightning on A&M with their local hit "Physical Speed," these groups were ahead of their time and exploring sounds that were not identified with the city that brought the world the Modern Lovers, Aerosmith, and the Jonzun Crew. But with three albums on a major label, and superb production, New England had a good shot at the brass ring and a tune with all the elements of "hit" in this track. "P.U.N.K." is also a song that generated attention. About a punk, and certainly not punk rock, although the band frequented (and played) the clubs like the Paradise and the Rat, which, no doubt, helped inspire this. "Shall I Run Away" has a great vocal from Fannon and is the best tune next to "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya" -- mellow with cosmic guitars, a unique sound removed from the Asia style producer Mike Stone and the band New England became known for, almost Roxy Music. And that is where the band could've really made its mark, by being more experimental and less like the arena rock bands of the day. "Alone Tonight" is a great song held back by the "overproduction," to quote the late Stones producer Jimmy Miller and his idea of the New England sound. The thick production on this music is incessant. "Nothing to Fear" has hooks a plenty and the voice more prominent; "Shoot" is like a progressive Black Sabbath riff sped up and gone pop. Fannons' great ideas and lyrics seem to get lost in some of the instrumentation of "Turn Out the Light." That stage life which Paul Stanley knows so well from the Kiss hit "Beth" is the theme of "The Last Show." "Encore" concludes the album with Fannon almost sounding like Roger Waters in delivery and idea. New England deserves recognition for years of hard work and the creation of a very important tune from the late '70s. The cover photo has Terminator-style lightning (so did Private Lightning's cover, of course) and the band being delivered from out the blue." -- AMG

*********

one of my fave records of all time. i was 14 when the hit "dont ever wanna lose ya" hit the airwaves.i thought i would share this one with some that might remember it , & yet have forgotten how good these guys were.this came from an import cd , pretty hard to get -- i am gonna up the other two they did soon as well , i even have some demos & unreleased tracks if interest is high enuff ! :)ya , waldo & shea [ bass - keys ] ended up with yngwie & bonnet on the alcatrazz` recordings , even on the one they did w/ steve vai - "disturbing the peace". for fans of journey , boston , elo , sweet , etc.

hey all ;
here is another lost gem of the 60`s. this was recorded in `69 for ABC`s sub PROBE records.
engineered by andy johns...
i transferred this from the ORIGINAL vinyl & encoded @ VBR-320kbs.
tons of organs , FUZZ guitars , violins , choirs from hades --- its a long ride ..:)
this one is out there ``

please let me know what ya think !?

*******

PLUS - THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS :

"One look at the cover and it should be clear that producers Simon Napier Bell and Ray Singer (who also penned about six of the tracks here) were trying to capitalize on the look and feel of Jesus Christ Superstar with this concept album that is laid out like a Catholic mass. The only musicians credited are Tony Newman (g), Max Simms (bass), and Mike Newman (d); there’s also vocalists (an entire choir on a couple tracks), piano, organ, violins, cellos and much more – which naturally leads one to believe this is more an album by the two producers, than that of the “band”, although the Newman brothers are credited with writing the remaining five songs. So what’s it all about? Imagine an eclectic mix of sixties styled rock and pop songs (early Who or pre-psychedelic Beatles might be a fair comparison) separated by short dissonant string quartet interludes, short spoken introductions, with some classical rips (the “Toccata” with the choir singing the names of the sins over and over is quite ridiculous, as is the silly doo-wop meets Elvis “Dismissal”, but the bombastic “Devil’s Hymn” for choir and band is quite cool, with its jazzy center section). The meat of the album is in the songs though, all of which sound a little dated (even by 1969 standards) but are still quite good. From the poppy “Envy: I’m Talking as a Friend” and “Pride”, to the out-and-out rockers “Sloth: Open Up Your Eyes” and “Gluttony: Something is Threatening Your Family”, the song-craftsmanship and arrangements throughout are at a very high level. Probably not for everyone, but those into sixties styled eclecticism might do well to check it out. - Peter Thelen"

"As Plus, brothers Mike (drums) and Tony (guitar) Newman and bassist Max Simms found an impressive mentor in the form of ex-Yardbirds bassist/producer Simon Napier-Bell. Napier-Bell was apparently instrumental in getting the trio a recording deal with ABC's short-lived Probe subsidiary.

In addition to co-producing 1969's "The Seven Deadly Sings", Napier-Bell and Ray Singer were credited with co-writing roughly half the album. A goofy concept piece (any guesses on the plotline), the set seemed to be a clumsy effort to cash in on the public's renewed interest in religion (aka "Jesus Christ Superstar", or "Mass In F Minor" Electric Prunes). Thematically and lyrically the album was clearly linked via brief spoken intros and instrumental interludes, which makes it even funnier to discover that musically the set's all over the spectrum. Material such as the instrumental "Gloria In Excelsis: Toccata" and "The Secrets: Devil's Hymn" mixed classical moves with chuch choirs and progressive moves. Elsewhere "Pride: Pride" and "Envy: I'm Talking As a Friend" offered up a startling pair of Badfinger-styled pop jewels, while "Avarice: Daddy's Thing" was surprisingly funky and "Wrath: Gemegemera" was standard hard rock. Needless to say, sales were far and few. (The album was originally released with an embossed, gatefold cover.) "

"Among the many unmemorable late '60s psychedelic bands that put out a record or two, Colours do stand out from the pack a bit for a couple of reasons. One is that they were among the relatively few American bands to adopt a very British orchestrated pop-psychedelic style, which must have been honed by incessant listening to every track the Beatles did in 1967. The other is that their bassist was Carl Radle, who soon went on to play in Delaney & Bonnie and, shortly afterward, Derek & the Dominoes, as well as with J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton the solo artist. Colours drummer Chuck Blackwell also achieved some renown in the early '70s by playing with Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, Taj Mahal, Freddie King, and other artists.

However, the prime architects of Colours' sound were songwriters Jack Dalton and Gary Montgomery. They wrote all of the material on Colours' 1968 self-titled debut album on Dot, a competent if unexciting derivation of the sort of florid, bouncy, multi-textured songs the Beatles did on their 1967 LPs and singles" -- AMG

well , here is another lost classic from the archives.
colours debut LP on DOT records. very reminiscent of early bealtes with tinges of psych-ish elements , sitars & such.
i really love this LP , it really grows on you , my fave tracks :

*rather be me

*cataleptic

*brother lou`s love colony [ also done by "the moon" ]

this was a really clean LP transfer that i did , sound great !
re-mastered it a touch to bring out some clarity.